356 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 25, 1903. 
split up, reserving the strongest side-shoots for planting out, 
and throwing away the weakest and the old crowns.. if not 
already done, prepare a. plot of ground on which the sun shines 
but a. lew hours each day, for Violets revel in a partial shade, 
especially in the hottest days- of summer. A liberal dressing 
of farmyard manure should be dug in deeply, and when the 
surface is fairly diy the Violets may be planted, after first 
treading and raking the surface level. Plant in rows singly 
IS in. apart, and dispose the plants 12 in. asunder in the row. 
Afford a, good watering immediately after the work is com¬ 
pleted, and syringe twice or thrice daily to promote healthy 
growth. To obtain the best results the plants require liberal 
treatment during growth in summer, in order to lay a- good 
foundation before lifting in a-utumn. The best varieties are 
Marie Louise, Princess of Wales, and La France. 
Double Chinese Primulas. — Preparations should be made 
for increasing the stock of these. The old double-white variety 
is exceedingly useful, and the method usually adopted for pro¬ 
pagation is to pick off: all faded flowers and leaves-, and place 
a mound of fine light- soil, composed of leaf soil, sand and 
cocoanut-fibre, around the base of the old plant on the surface 
of the soil. If kept- in a warm house roots will quickly form 
and permea-te the material, when they may be divided with a- 
knife and potted up singly in 21-in. pots, using similar soil to 
that recommended for banking up. Keep them growing on a 
shelf in a warm, but not too moist, house or pit, and shift on 
as required. 
Propagation by Leaves. — Begonias of the Rex and other 
fibrous-rooted varieties may be increased freely by leaves at 
this time, as may Gloxinias and Streptocarpus. Prepare pans 
of light sandy soil and lay the leaves flat upon the surface, 
after first passing a- keen-edged knife through the veins and 
mid-ribs of the leaf. Peg down with small wire pegs and place 
in the propagating house. Keep shaded from bright sunshine, 
and cover with a- sheet of glass, taking the precaution to wipe 
the under-side of this daily to remove the condensed vapour. 
General Hints. — Fumigate the various plant-houses and 
frames on the first appearance of greenfly and other insect 
pests, always bearing in mind that- insects increase alarmingly 
fast at this period of the year, when plant- life is most active. 
Timely slight fumigations are better in eveiy way than drastic 
ones, which are necessary when insects obtain a strong hold. 
Stove and greenhouse climbers should be disbudded, remov¬ 
ing all weakly and badly-placed shoots, and tying in the 
strongest ones for flowering. By concentrating tlm energy of 
the plant to the latter by this operation, much good will accrue. 
K. M. 
Rhododendron grande. 
A handsome shrub, specially adapted for the decoration of 
winter gardens and large conservatories, where if planted out 
it attains a height of fully 15 ft. Its noble appearance, com¬ 
bined with its large leaves, frequently 9 in. long, gives it a 
decorative value exclusive of its flowers. The individual 
flowers, which are produced in umbels, are rosy-pink in bud, 
shading to pure white when expanded, tubular, campa-nulate, 
2^ in. long, having a black purple velvety spot at the base 
surrounding the filaments. 
Daphne blagayana. 
A beautiful dwarf alpine shrub 3 in. to 6 in. high, very 
suitable for rock gardens. It is of straggling growth, with 
rosettes of leaves at the extremities of the prostrate, slender 
branches, which encircle clusters of white, delightfully-fiagiant 
flowers. Native of Carolina. 
Primula denticulata. . . 
This species and its varieties, alba, cashminana, purpurea, 
and rosea, are beautiful and desirable spring-flowering plants 
either for outdoor culture or when grown in pans for flowering 
in a cool greenhouse. Native of the Himalayas. 
Forsythia suspcnsa (syns. Fortune! and Sieboldi). 
A very beautiful spring-flowering shrub, possibly the best, 
at present, having long and usually drooping wand-like shoots 
freely studded with yellow flowers. Very effective in masses 
or when planted as dot phints in banks of the common bay 
Laurel. 
Acacia obliqua 
forms a decorative plant, flowering freely as a small plant. Its 
arched, branches- are more copiously studded with globose 
clusters of bright yellow flowers than with leaves, which are 
rotundate, about- 4 in. long. Native of Australia, 
The Unheated Greenhouse. 
Some long articles- have been written about this structure 
in a contemporary which I began to read with interest, but 
when I found that hot-water pipes were used, I did not continue 
reading them fully, as the structure I have to deal with has no 
means of heating it. Those who- have a greenhouse with a 
proper heating apparatus may try to grow anything, from the 
Orchid to the Geranium or Tulip, as they are masters of the 
situation through the severe weather in winter. 
A good deal of pleasure and some profit may be had from 
the former, and now is a good time to start with Tomato plants, 
which can be purchased at a cheap rate and grown on and 
fruited in, pots. March is sometimes a trying month, with 
severe frosts- at night, and it is very annoying to- have kept a 
little stock of plants all through the winter and to have them 
frost-bitten in March through neglecting to throw a few mats 
over the glass at night. 
To ensure the greatest amount of success, the unheated 
greenhouse should be situated where it can receive all the rays 
of the sun front morning till night. If a lean-to, let it face 
south, if possible. Thorough exposure to the sun throughout 
the autumn months- is the way to ripen and harden the wood 
and bulbs of all flowering plants. I have seen in a garden a 
few miles from here a- Cape Pelargonium planted out in a south 
aspect survive two or three winters, and more recently a double 
scarlet Ivy-leaf Pelargonium trained up a- south wall, covering 
an area of some 6 square ft.—a beautiful object when in flower. 
These are instances showing the necessity of ripened growth to 
resist cold. Of course, a very severe frost of 15 deg. or 20 deg. 
would destroy all the top growth, but a good mulching of some 
litter might preserve the bottom and roots, enabling t-he plant 
to start with fresh vigour in spring. In my structure I have 
lost Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Heliotropes, Hydrangeas, and 
Vallota- purpurea, I have a pure white Verbena I have kept 
for years by propagating cuttings, sweetly scented and free 
from mildew. 
The Arum Lily is said to be hardy under water ; it may be so 
at a depth of 18 in. or more, but not in shallow water. This 
plant cannot withstand frost at all. 
The Aspidistra is hardy until the roots are frost-bitten. I 
have kept an Indian Azalea several years ; the frost did not 
actually kill the plant, but destroyed the flower-buds. Some 
of the more tender things I have placed in a. room until the 
weather became warmer. 
Chrysanthemums, of course, may be grown successfully. I 
have for some years had some in bloom from the end of 
November until the end of January, striking the cuttings in 
February in a box covered with squares of glass. The flowers 
of the Japanese forms keep best in a room during damp weather. 
In the greenhouse, too, Lily of the Valley may be had in 
flower a few weeks earlier than from out of doors. 
Some time ago I forced some successfully by procuring an 
oil “ drum ” to hold water, standing it upon some bricks, leaving 
sufficient room beneath to place a paraffin lamp to heat the 
wafer, and on the top of the “ drum ” an orange box filled with 
cocoanut fibre, as plunging material. 
For those who have plenty of means, the “unheated struc¬ 
ture” might be converted into an a-lpine house with rockery 
and suitable plants, and be made very enjoyable. The green¬ 
house with lio-t-water pipes (wrongly named unlieatedj may be 
made sray all the year round with such a host of variable and 
beautiful things available for the purpose. T. R t mcos. 
